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‘You told me to get back into the car.’
She nodded. ‘Yes, I did.’
‘Why did you do that, Clara? I’m a doctor, you don’t remove a doctor from
the scene of an accident.’
‘We have an established procedure for situations such as these.’
Anger rose in Gabriel’s chest. ‘We’ve been through this before. Stop trying to manage me. I need you to talk to me, right now.’
Clara thought for a moment, and the threat of disappointment began to loom. Then she puffed out a breath.
‘In situations like these, we have to balance the likelihood of a genuine emergency with the possibility that an accident has been staged to draw you out, away from your protection. It happens, Gabriel. We have to secure your safety and then offer help.’
Gabriel almost couldn’t bear to ask. Could Clara really have betrayed everything that he stood for—everything he’d thought she stood for—so easily?
‘And that’s what you were going to do?’
She stared at him for a moment, as if she didn’t understand the question. Then she turned her head away. ‘It’s a hard decision to make, Gabriel.’
‘Which is why it’s so important to get it right.’
She glared at him, anger in her eyes. ‘If you must know, I knew you wouldn’t stay in the car, whatever I said. I was glad you didn’t. Is that what you want to hear?’
Relief washed over him. ‘That’s exactly what I want to hear.’
‘Well, it shouldn’t be. My job is to protect you.’ He could see the anguish in her eyes now. Clara had been faced with an impossible choice.
‘And you did protect me. I believe it’s worth taking a risk to save someone else, and you believe it too. If I let fear make me betray my principles, then I’m nothing. You’d have nothing left to protect.’
‘You’re thinking like a doctor, Gabriel. Which is okay, I suppose, because you are a doctor. I’m not an ambulance paramedic any more.’
He shrugged. ‘If the cap fits...’
‘No. Don’t do that, Gabriel. You know why I gave up my job as a paramedic. And you know this job means a great deal to me, and I want to do it right.’ She waved her hand, as if she just didn’t want to think about it any longer. ‘I suppose what’s done is done.’
‘Yes. And like it or not, I think you did the right thing. Virginia’s going to be okay—’
‘She told you her name was Virginia? I saw her talking to you as they were getting her ready to put her into the ambulance.’ Clara’s sudden flash of interest made Gabriel smile.
‘Yes. She was in the car with her boss. He’d asked her out to a nice restaurant for dinner and she went with him. Apparently he’s married...’
He saw understanding dawn in Clara’s eyes. She’d clearly been wondering why the driver had left the scene so quickly.
‘So she had a lucky escape. In more ways than one.’
‘That’s exactly what I told her. I said that there was someone out there who would treat her better than this and who would stick with her, whatever happened...’ Gabriel frowned. He probably wasn’t the one to give anyone relationship advice.
‘That’s fair.’ The knowingness in Clara’s eyes told him that she hadn’t failed to see the incongruity of the situation.
‘All right. Give me a break, eh?’
She smiled, getting to her feet. When she bent towards him, brushing her lips against his cheek, he felt a little dizzy suddenly.
‘You’re one of the best, Gabriel. I’m going home now to get some sleep.’
He leaned back in his seat. They both knew that Clara had made the right decision, even if she wouldn’t admit it. And they both knew that they’d made a good team. That meant a great deal more to Gabriel than it should.
